


Don't Mention It

by MissCrazyWriter321



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Blink and you'd miss it though, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Westallen and Captain Canary, Leonard Snart Has a Heart, Pre-Canon Character Deaths, Relationships Implied Only, Set in Season One of Legends, Spoilers for 3x22, time-travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-18
Updated: 2017-05-18
Packaged: 2018-11-02 01:15:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10933941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissCrazyWriter321/pseuds/MissCrazyWriter321
Summary: "He wasn’t much of a believer in fate, or destiny, but he’d never been big on coincidences, either. What that left, he wasn’t sure." When Leonard Snart meets an unlikely woman, he has a unique opportunity. Not that he cares, of course. It just seems like the thing to do.





	Don't Mention It

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, everyone! The first part of this is a little interaction I've been wanting for awhile. Almost from the start of Legends of Tomorrow, honestly. The latest Flash episode tied in with it nicely, so I decided to put all of this together.
> 
> As for timelines, I'm pushing it, because there wasn't a lot of free time in Season One. Let's assume this happens somewhere between 1x05 and 1x08. Rip had to make a pit stop in the 80s, to investigate a small lead on Savage.
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing. I just let the characters play around in my brain a little.

1988 wasn’t such a bad year, Leonard supposed.

  
The music wasn’t awful, and beer was reasonably cheap.

  
Overall, he probably could have enjoyed their little pit stop, if it hadn’t been for the memories.

  
Memories of his 16 year old self, arms crossed tightly, blinking hard at an empty wall to keep the tears at bay. It was his second time in Juvie, and the first his father wasn’t responsible for. (Directly, anyway.)

  
It shouldn’t have hurt, not after all these years, but his gut churned all the same.

  
Instinctively, he glanced over his shoulder, looking for Sara to distract him from his thoughts, not letting himself dwell on how quickly that had become an instinct. No luck, however. She was chatting up a few college students a couple of blocks behind him.

  
He was so caught up in his thoughts, he almost missed what happened next.

  
The woman was young, barely 25 by Leonard’s guess, and clearly frantic. She spared a glance at her watch, tearing her eyes from the road, but didn’t slow her walk. The car speeding down the street let out a harsh squeal as the driver slammed frantically on the breaks, but it wasn’t enough, it wouldn’t be enough…

  
He was hardly aware of his own movements as he lunged forward, catching her by the arms and pulling her out of the street. Just in time; the car slid harmlessly by.

  
She looked up at him, wide-eyed, and stumbled back. “Thank you,” she managed, and he shrugged, releasing her.

  
“Don’t mention it,” he drawled, carefully hiding the sincerity in his words. This hero thing wasn’t exactly his scene, after all.

  
Apparently, it didn’t show, because her face lit up. “No, seriously, thank you. I wasn’t watching where I was going. I was already running late, and I just…” She trailed off, her hands drifting to her stomach. Her round stomach, he realized suddenly, horror dawning as what could have happened became crystal clear. “I can’t thank you enough.”

  
“Like I said, don’t mention it,” he repeated, gentler this time. “Mazel Tov, Miss…”

  
“Mrs.” She clarified with a smile. “Nora Allen. And thank you.”

  
Oh.

  
_Oh._

  
He wasn’t much of a believer in fate, or destiny, but he’d never been big on coincidences, either. What that left, he wasn’t sure.

  
_Nora Allen._

  
Of all the people in history he could have saved, it had to be the mother of his nemesis. And the nemesis himself, apparently.

  
It didn’t take a time expert like Rip to figure out it was time to go, but somehow, Leonard found himself lingering. “Have you thought about names?”

  
To his surprise, she scoffed. At his raised eyebrow, she explained. “Sure. I’ve thought of lots of names. Sebastian. Chris. Grant.” She groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. “But my husband has his heart set on Bartholomew. Can you imagine? Bartholomew Allen?”

  
“Bit of a mouthful,” he agreed smoothly, proud of himself when not even the corner of his lips twitched.  

  
An idea occurred to him. A terrible idea, of course, which meant it would be fun.

  
“You know, I have a-” Rival? Nemesis? Enemy? Hero? “-friend named Bartholomew. He hates it. Absolutely hates it. We all call him Barry, for short.”

  
She hummed thoughtfully, mouthing the words. “Barry… Allen. I like it.”

  
He grinned. “Glad to be of service. It’s been a pleasure talking to you, ma’am, but I should probably be on my way.” Before he messed up the timeline even more, he mused. Not that he cared, but Rip’s yelling tended to give him a headache.

  
“I just wish I could thank you. For everything.”

  
A brush-off appeared on his lips, but he faltered, studying her. He knew the story, of course: Nora Allen would die when Barry was eleven, at the hands of a violent speedster from the future. The woman in front of him was less than twelve years from death, and she was so young.

  
It wasn’t often he felt old, not truly; his grandfather had always said age was a state of mind, and he always tried to live by that motto.

  
But standing there, studying this woman? She was hardly more than a child herself, with a rounded belly and a glow on her face, and he felt every single year.

  
“Actually-” he hadn’t even fully realized his plan when he opened his mouth, but the words poured out anyway. “There is something you can do.” She raised her eyebrows, and he swallowed hard, the idea solidifying in his mind. “I’m working on a project. Videos of parents talking to their future kids.”

  
Her brows furrowed, and he added, “If you had a chance to talk to your son, all grown up, what would you say to him?”

If he were a soul-searching type of man, he’d probably ask himself why he was doing this. Luckily for him, that wasn’t his style.

A thoughtful expression crossed her face, before she nodded. “Okay, sure.” He pulled out his phone, and she hesitated. “What’s that?”

  
Inwardly cursing, he shrugged, quickly pulling up the right app. “It’s my camera.” He wasn’t technically even lying, he reasoned. “Tiny, I know, but it works. Go ahead.”

  
She took a deep breath, gathering her thoughts, and began. “My son. My beautiful, beautiful son….”

  
***

Seeing Barry in Siberia was a surprise, to say the least. The plea for help, less so. It was inevitable, like Alexa, like the death sentence looming on his head. (Leonard Snart was no fool, and Mick’s visit to him in 2013 was still burned into his brain. He knew a goodbye when he heard one.)

  
After everything the kid had lost, it wasn’t hard to see what losing Iris would do to him. Barry Allen, the human embodiment of hope, was hopeless.

  
Desperate.

  
Dangerous.

  
That, more than anything, was why Leonard agreed to help him. He knew that darkness, and it had almost consumed him once. If it hadn’t been for Barry, it might have. Leonard Snart didn’t like debts.

  
Throughout their adventure, the phone stayed in his pocket, the weight of it unbearably heavy against his chest. For a hundred reasons, he knew he had to show Barry the video, but the timing was never right.

  
How was he supposed to bring that up, honestly?

  
But then, Barry had saved him from Killer Shark, and Leonard knew it was time to quit stalling.

  
“Can I have a minute of your time, Barry? Before you take me back to the Tardis, of course.”

  
“Sure. What’s up?”

“Here’s the thing,” he began, and Barry tilted his head, curiosity clear on his face. “Travelling through time has afforded me some… Very unique opportunities.”

“Opportunities? Like what?” Barry smiled, soft but sincere, and Leonard frowned. Every since he’d picked him up in Siberia, the kid hadn’t done more than smirk, reminding Leonard far too much of himself. Now, for the first time, hope danced in his eyes.

“Look, I don’t do touchy-feely, never have done. But I haven’t had many people over the years I could count on. Guess that makes us friends.” He nearly spit the last word, but Barry didn’t seem phased. If anything, the grin spread, into something that almost resembled the Barry he once knew.

  
Almost.

  
“So, in the name of friendship…” He pulled out his phone, tapping on the video, and pressing send. “Watch this. Alone.”  

  
The grin faded, replaced with blatant confusion, but Leonard shrugged. He wasn’t explaining further. “Time to take me back, don’t you think, Barry?”

  
A serious expression-Barry’s new default, apparently-fell on the young man’s face, and he nodded, grabbing Leonard without warning, and darting away.

  
“So,” the speedster asked, and Len struggled to find his balance, “did you honestly think I’d do it?”

  
***

  
The video was all but forgotten in the battle that followed.

  
It wasn’t until late that night, as Barry was curled up in his bed, tears streaming down his face, (from the day, and from Iris’s video,) that he noticed it, and remembered.

  
He hesitated, before pressing play.

  
Immediately, a sob threatened to slip out, as the young but still familiar face of his mother stared back.

  
“Mom…”

  
“ _My son. My beautiful, beautiful boy. All grown up._ ” For a moment, the world seemed to sway, and Barry sat up so quickly, he sent a few stray tissues flying to the floor.

  
“ _I love you. I love you so much already. So much more than I thought I was capable of._ ”

  
A new wave of tears began, but he couldn’t find it in him to wipe them away.

  
“ _The truth is, I don’t know what to say. I don’t know what you’ll be like. Your first kiss, your first love, your first heartbreak… Your dreams, your hobbies, your passions… I don’t know. I wish I did. And I can’t wait to find out_.”

  
Barry flinched, biting down on his lip to keep from audibly whimpering.

  
“ _But here’s what I do know: Whatever you do, whoever you become, you’re going to do amazing things. You can do whatever you set your mind to, and you’ll do it with so much love surrounding you…_ ” She trailed off, glancing away from the camera for a moment, before collecting herself.

  
“ _You’re going to be amazing, Barry Allen._ ”

  
Her gaze shifted to somewhere behind the camera. “ _I’m sorry, I don’t know if that’s what you had in mind…_ ”

  
“ _It’s perfect_ ,” Snart’s voice cut in, and if Barry wasn’t mistaken, Captain Cold sounded a bit emotional himself.

  
The recording ended there, and Barry fell back on the pillow, pulling the covers to himself. Tears fell freely, as he let the words bounce around in his brain.

  
He wasn’t sure how Snart had gotten her to do this, but it didn’t matter: Seeing her, alive and vibrant like that, ripped open a thousand wounds he would have almost thought healed.

  
So he wept.

  
For Iris.

  
For Leonard.

  
For his mother.

  
All gone too soon.

  
All his fault, in some way or another.

  
All people he couldn’t save.

  
Slowly, through his haze of grief, he was able to focus on the message itself, and a few words stuck in his mind.

  
“You can do whatever you set your mind to…”

  
“I’ll do it, Leonard,” he promised the empty room, a new conviction forming in his heart. “I’ll save Iris. And then? I’ll save you.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! To be completely honest, I have no real explanation for this, and I didn't really have a goal with writing this. I've just always wanted to see Leonard interacting with Nora in the past, for some reason. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed my self-indulgent tid-bit, lovelies!


End file.
